Ingredient Review

The first ingredient is salmon. Although salmon is an excellent protein and omega-3 fatty acid source, raw salmon contains more than 60% moisture. After cooking, the relative meat contribution of salmon is dramatically reduced. Therefore, it's important to ensure that other meat sources are included within the first few ingredients to ensure the product derives most of its protein from meat.

The second ingredient is liver. Liver is a controversial ingredient because the source animal is not specified. Anonymous animal ingredients are typically very low quality and may contain almost any animal, including dogs and cats!

The third ingredient is meat by-products. By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, meat by-products contain nearly all parts of the animal which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

This ingredient is marked controversial because the meat source is not identified. Anonymous ingredients such as meat by-products are typically very low quality additions. The most unpleasing property of this ingredient is that the animal source can contain any mammal, even dogs & cats.

The fourth ingredient is fish broth. Fish broth provides both flavor and moisture; however, as with other broths, fish broth does not provide any notable nutritional contribution.

The fifth ingredient is turkey. Turkey is another excellent protein source. As with other raw meats, turkey contains a substantial amount of moisture and therefore the relative meat contribution of turkey is dramatically reduced after cooking.

Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Fancy Feast Medleys Wild Salmon Primavera With Garden Veggies & Greens Pate are not as important as the first five ingredients.

However, collectively they still have a significant impact on the overall quality of the product. Therefore, we'll continue discussing the remaining ingredients in this Fancy Feast recipe.

Next we have ocean fish. Ocean fish can refer to multiple species of fish, since the particular type of fish is not specified, it's difficult to discuss this ingredient. The nutritional contribution of ocean fish depends on the species included; however, fish generally provides high quality protein and fat.

The next ingredient is tomato. Tomatoes are naturally rich in various vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. You may have heard that tomatoes are toxic to cats, but these claims are about the tomato plant, not the actual tomato.

Then we have carrot, which are naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant.

Moving on, we have spinach. Spinach is an edible flowering plant which supplies a notable amount of dietary fiber and plant based protein. It's also naturally rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, and folate.

Moving on with this review, we have artificial flavor. Artificial flavor is an ingredient which improves the palatability of food. Unlike natural flavor, artificial flavor is not derived from a natural source. However, artificial flavors on a scientific level are indistinguishable from their natural counterparts.

The next ingredient in this review is natural flavor, which is used to enhance the flavor of the food.

Our next ingredient is tricalcium phosphate. Tricalcium phosphate is typically used for its mineral contents. However, it can also be used to evenly disperse fat in wet food products.

guar gum is the next ingredient in this recipe. Guar gum (or guaran) is obtained from guar beans which have been dehusked, milled and screened. It's commonly used in wet food products as a thickening agent and provides a notable amount of dietary fiber.

Next on the list is added color. The ingredient "added color" is ambiguous and may include various artificial dyes. Most artificial dyes have been linked to various chronic diseases.

The next ingredient in this recipe is salt. Salt is an important mineral for both humans and cats. Depending on the quantity of salt used (which we cannot determine), salt may or may not be a nutritious addition in the recipe.

Next we have potassium chloride. Potassium chloride is a potassium supplement.

The remaining ingredients in this Fancy Feast Medleys recipe are unlikely to affect the overall rating of the product.

Our analysis of the ingredients show that this product derives most of its protein from animal based sources. This is an excellent property because meat based protein contains all of the necessary amino acids required by cats. In our option, this is one of the most important properties to judge when reviewing pet food, therefore we believe this is an exceptional product in this regard.

Final Thoughts

In summary, we recognize that this product contains artificial colors and anonymous meat ingredients.

Although the FDA has approved the artificial colors used in this product, they are unnecessary and unhealthy additions. Long term exposure can have serious consequences. See our article on artificial food dyes for more information.

In regards to the anonymous meat ingredients, These are not necessarily always negative; however, they are typically low quality and inexpensive additions. If the particular anonymous meat ingredient is controversial or low quality, it should have been discussed earlier in this review. Otherwise, it is safe to assume the anonymous meat ingredient is an acceptable addition.

The official PawDiet rating for Fancy Feast Medleys Wild Salmon Primavera With Garden Veggies & Greens Pate is 3.0 out of 5.